Bab 106: Chapter 106 - Artican Trade in Westeros 33 (Reach 13!).
[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Pessoa Thrid POV
Westeros, 295 AC.
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As Olenna approached the group of young women chatting, Willas was presenting his stud to Jon, starting with a dun-colored, rather large warhorse. "Look at this breed, King of Artica, it's native to the northern reaches of the Reach, in more mountainous areas. It's an excellent horse for rough terrains. It may not be the fastest, but its stamina is unparalleled. It's even used for transporting goods at times, though I wouldn't recommend wasting such a unique breed on that sort of thing," he explained.
Jon nodded in agreement, examining the horse with keen eyes as he approached. He touched the animal, even forming a small connection with it, seeing its memories and how it was treated. Its life, in just a few seconds, appeared well-cared-for, and it seemed that even though Willas wasn't its main caretaker—after all, he had many duties as the heir to Highgarden—he still made time to visit his horses over many years. This one in particular, since it was just a foal when it was brought here.
He appreciated how the crippled man treated his animals, earning some respect from Jon. "It's a fine breed and well cared for..." Jon admitted, stroking the animal.
"We have many breeds, King Jon," Garlan commented from beside him. "Our horses are better than those any other kingdom can offer, I assure you," he said. Jon nodded as he looked around the stable filled with horses of different breeds, with strong, shiny coats, maintaining good height and muscle mass.
"I'm very interested in taking a large batch from you," Jon said. It wasn't yet the negotiation phase, but it would be soon. He had only hinted at the initial amount, but he wouldn't mind spending much more to acquire thousands of them, and his money wouldn't be wasted investing in horses.
"That's great, I'll be reaching out to many of our suppliers... to advance our negotiations then," Willas commented, as he began to present more horse breeds to the foreign king.
Meanwhile, in the garden, the women were conversing among themselves, especially the local nobles who were questioning the foreign woman in as many ways as possible...
"May I join you, young ladies?" A voice emerged as Olenna Tyrell appeared before them with a slight smile.
"Grandmother!" Margaery immediately stood up as did everyone else, except for Seryna and Arya, who didn't quite understand the reason for this, not that Olenna took offense, she ignored it and turned back to the young women of the Reach.
"Come now, no need to greet me in such a manner, just fetch me a chair so I can join you and have the opportunity to get to know our guests better, I'm very excited to learn more about them..." She spoke in a playful tone.
"Yes, right here grandma!" Margaery's cousin, Mina Tyrell, pulled a chair to the table from another one that was unoccupied.
"Thank you... my dear," she said, sitting down as all the other ladies did the same.
"You're here, it's good to see our future family member with us..." Olenna turned to Lady Leonette Fossoway, Garlan's fiancée.
"Yes, my lady... I will always be here and Lady Margaery honors me with her invitation," Lady Leonette Fossoway replied in an enchanted tone, while Seryna and Arya remained silent.
"That's good, I'm sure Garlan would like to see his bride today," she said, looking towards her future granddaughter, then continuing, turning her face to the guests the next moment. "Since he had a defeat in the courtyard to Jon of Artica," she smiled.
"What?!" Lady Leonette Fossoway raised her voice in surprise, after all, her fiancé had won the tournament, he couldn't just lose, could he? As many noblewomen were shocked by this.
"I regret not being at the courtyard at that moment..." Lady Talla Tarly said as she put her hand over her mouth.
"You all look foolish like that." Olenna turned her attention back to them, mocking. "You didn't hear how Jon of Artica defeated the Red Viper at Dorne and how he killed a man as if he were slaughtering a pig before coming here?" Olenna asked.
"I thought they were just exaggerated rumors..." Lady Mina Tyrell murmured.
"Rumors always come from some source, usually a true one." Margaery commented, though she was surprised by her brother's defeat despite winning the tournament.
"You're right, my flower." Olenna smiled at her granddaughter. "I myself saw the fight, and it truly was a spectacle. Garlan was lucky that your husband did not participate in the tournament..." Olenna spoke directly to Seryna.
"Jon has always been very skilled with the sword; in Artica, there's no comparison." Seryna finally spoke up, responding to the comment.
"Ah, Artica, what kind of place must that be to have so many incredible things... The king of that land even acquired that legendary sword..." Olenna commented.
"Did you know that our guests said they have an entire grove made up of sacred trees, grandmother? Doesn't that sound incredible...?" Margaery brought up from her conversation before the meeting at the site, and the other noblewomen were quite surprised by this, as Seryna had not mentioned such a thing in their talks.
"Oh, that is really something else, but I wouldn't doubt that it exists there, after all, they follow the old gods and not the Seven," Olenna spoke, albeit a bit surprised, it seemed a plausible piece of information.
"That is blasphemy..." Delena Florent murmured, as she was a fervent follower of the Reach's religion.
"What did you say, you fool?" Arya's voice came out with a tone of disdain, catching everyone off guard as Arya glared at the Lady with fierce eyes.
"..." The place fell silent at that moment, with all the ladies, except a few, looking at Arya with wide eyes due to her hostility.
The noblewoman targeted by these words did not expect this and did not know what to say until Olenna herself burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA" She laughed, surprising everyone as she turned back to Arya at that moment. "That certainly was unexpected, but amusing for a woman of my age," she said, maintaining a smile that even Arya seemed somewhat cautious of. "Our wolf is finally showing her teeth," she stated.
"But..." The noblewoman who had been the target of hostility, not having appreciated it, tried to speak but was interrupted by Olenna herself.
"Ow, my dear, could you please shut up, do not offend our guests," Olenna said in a tone so friendly it didn't seem like the words could come from her mouth, while all the ladies shrunk back at that moment.
"Anyway, tell me about your upbringing, my girl," Olenna turned back to Arya, interested in the Stark girl.
"What do you mean, my lady?" Arya asked in return.
"I would like to know how you were raised all these years in Artica, you certainly know how to behave like a lady, even though you show your fangs, like a wolf protecting her pack when needed, and I like that in you," Olenna said, as she had always raised Margaery to be a flower whose fragrant scent and beauty everyone could appreciate, but also to develop her own thorns to be used when necessary.
"I learned a lot, mainly from Jon," she spoke while Seryna could see no issue with this or even prevent anything of the sort.
"With the king? What could he teach you... Do you have a maester there, would that be Aemon who was taken to the Wall years ago?" She asked, trying to imagine what this boy could do and see if they have any source at the place, after all, it was very mysterious how they acquired wealth, resources, and even knowledge from that place.
"Well, there are many things I was able to learn," Arya murmured, observed by everyone.
"Come on, you could clear up this lady's doubts, couldn't you?" Olenna spoke to Arya again, insisting. Seryna might have intervened, but she let Arya handle it herself, as she had to represent Artica as a resident and the king's sister.
Arya then decided to speak firmly. "There are many subjects I learned in recent years. At least Jon and Maester Aemon himself helped me. Today I have a good understanding of mathematics, arithmetic, economics, geography, history of the Seven Kingdoms, and the area beyond the Wall," she spoke, surprising all the ladies at the table, even Olenna.
"That's the education of a maester from the Citadel... Why learn such things?" Olenna asked, curious and fascinated at the same time.
"Jon always said that, even though I had to learn how to be the perfect lady, how to deal with nobility and people of status, he said that even though I should be a good wife to a good husband, I should not depend entirely on him and also that I should help him as much as possible," she said.
"That's really curious. Do you really think you've mastered these subjects?" Olenna asked once more, as the table fell silent.
"I've mastered them a bit, I admit," Arya spoke. "There are other subjects too, like agriculture, astronomy, alchemy, anatomy, and basic medicine that I learned during my years..." Arya finished amidst the silence.
This could not leave Olenna any more surprised by what she was hearing. She had never heard of a lady learning all this. Although she couldn't really believe it immediately, there were ways to verify this and she would have a conversation with her maester later... to have him ask some peculiar questions to the girl, after all, she really wanted to know about this unique education.
"Excuse me, Lady Stark... but it's hard to believe that..." Lady Alyce Hightower interjected with a slight question after hearing all that.
"Why learn such things... these are things for men..." Lady Delena Florent murmured.
"I have a great responsibility with Artica, not just as Jon's sister, I intend to serve my house as I can," Arya stated firmly.
"Your house? Don't you consider Winterfell your home?" Margaery raised the question upon hearing Arya, while Olenna looked approvingly at her granddaughter.
"I like Winterfell, but I don't plan to reside there anymore," Arya said, leaving Margaery with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't imagine what Artica is like, but it's certainly making me more and more curious about it..." Olenna mentioned and continued speaking. "I've heard that you also know how to use weapons and even defeated one of Oberyn's daughters in Dorne, who are known by everyone as Arya the Remarkable, something impressive for someone your age..." she commented.
"Is that really true?" Lady Meredyth Oakheart asked about the rumor she had heard, clearly not believing the words she had heard before and finding it quite inappropriate to ask that.
"Yes, we learn all that. I know how to handle a sword with a shield, a bow, ride a horse, and even command a small group of soldiers." As soon as she finished, it seemed horrific to all of us at the table, looking at Arya with wide eyes.
"You even know how to lead a group quite surprisingly?" Olenna appeared quite surprised by this too, she was skeptical of a woman commanding men, even more so a young girl.
This made her raise another question, which would be the most basic of knowing if the girl was telling the truth or not as she glanced at Seryna, who did not seem surprised at all, she certainly having an education equal to or even greater since this woman was the queen of the kingdom.
"How many languages do you speak?" Olenna asked.
The women looked at Arya while she thought a bit about it, "Not many, I've mastered speaking, but am lacking in writing in some of them, however, I intend to learn them in the coming years, so much so that I'm studying in my free time on this trip, but I am literate in the Common Tongue, High Valyrian, the Old Tongue of the North, Yi-Ti, and Dothraki," she said, causing all the women to be shocked again while Seryna cracked a small smile.
"You're telling me you know all these languages?" Alyce immediately exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing.
[I am...] Arya replied in Yi-Ti, which sounded strange to anyone there, as she opened a smile with their reactions, proving her effort in learning this language worthwhile.
[You shouldn't speak like this in front of them all.] Seryna's voice was heard right after, speaking in Yi-Ti.
[Look at their stupid faces, we should have spoken like this from the start.] Arya spoke trying to keep a face that did not show the intentions of her words.
The group of women fell silent, even Olenna with all her experience, was taken aback by this, after all, she had never been in such a situation, and it was provoked by a child.
[Arya, we shouldn't treat people like this. Even though I don't like some of them, we are here to boost our business.] Seryna gave her a little lecture.
[Look at them, especially that old woman, she's dangerous and has a sharp tongue, it's so satisfying to see her like this, looking foolish as she tries to understand us...] Arya continued speaking.
[Let's switch back to the common tongue before they accuse us of anything, even though I'm also enjoying this situation.] Seryna admitted.
"Sorry about that." Seryna then spoke up, leaving an uncomfortable silence among the group.
"..." All the women just stared at them, not knowing what to say, but Olenna quickly recovered.
"Well... this is really unexpected, you know how to surprise an old woman as I'm seeing..." She said at the end, while trying to understand what had been spoken in that language by their facial expressions alone; she knew Arya was mocking them in some way.
"That... what language is that? Is it Dothraki, from those savages from Essos??" Mina Tyrell asked curiously and with some disgust as she spoke of the desert people.
"Yi-Ti." Arya responded.
"That's amazing! I've never heard anyone speak that way before, it seems like your tongue was twisted, but surely you spoke with confidence!" Lady Talla Tarly murmured excitedly.
"Did you learn that from the Artican king?" Lady Elinor Beesbury asked in admiration.
"Yes, Jon taught me many things. He even has much more knowledge than I do. Seryna can confirm all of this as well..." Arya spoke.
"I never imagined that you would certainly have so much knowledge..." Alyce Hightower spoke.
"Your husband is not only gallant... but also so intelligent!" Desmera Redwyne exclaimed.
"Can you hold your fire about the woman's husband right in front of you?" Olenna suddenly spoke, leaving Desmera speechless and embarrassed at the same time. The older woman turned her attention back to the two in front.
Olenna seemed a bit pensive about this, after all, this information was surprising to her, despite wanting to verify these things later, hearing them communicate in another language was something that her spies in Dorne hadn't caught. A piece of information she would have to keep in mind from now on, as they could have conversations she could not be aware of.
"Anyway, let's continue having our tea and talking a bit." She said in the end, before picking up her cup with hot water and herbs.
The women were a bit hesitant about this, but returned to normality after a while, letting the conversation among them flow while they discussed many subjects, but more focused on the Reach to talk about the place.
Olenna didn't talk much, just throwing in an irony here and there with some comments, but remained looking at her guests analyzing them, especially Seryna who kept a smile as if she was aware of the old woman's eyes on her the entire time.
Of course, they weren't just there alone as their guards maintained a distance from the place, after all, there were some birds perched on the roof of the structure, listening to the conversation while Jon just smiled coming out of the stable after meeting the breed horses the Tyrells could offer and petting his wolf still lying in front of the kennel.
It was after a while that Jon, Willas, and Garlan, along with the Hightower heir, approached the garden. Olenna looked up with a smile. "It seems the Artican King has finally decided to show up," she said with a calculating look, as the other women stood up to greet the men approaching, passing by the guards.
"Willas, Garlan!" Margaery greeted her brothers, while Lady Alyce Hightower greeted her brother.
As Jon walked directly to his wife, Arya, "How are you all?" He asked, while the other women watched with curiosity and admiration directed at him after all the stories.
"We're fine, we had a good conversation," Seryna responded.
Olenna decided to intervene at that moment while still remaining seated. "I must say, King of Artica, that the women of your kingdom are astounding, and they can even shock an old woman like me..." Olenna replied with an intense look at Jon.
"I hope so, they are my pride." Jon said, giving a kiss on Seryna's forehead and touching Arya's head.
"We've heard about what happened in the courtyard... how did it go?" Margaery asked Willas, curious about what she had heard from her grandmother.
"It was curious, you would have been surprised to see our guest fighting... it seems that Garlan the Gallant has lost the title of the best current swordsman in Highgarden," he said with a small smile, while Garlan nodded and searched for his bride among the nobles but without success.
"Our guest is also interested in our horses, said he's interested in spending some money on that, so I can say he certainly liked them, right?" Garlan turned to Jon after greeting Leonette Fossoway.
"Yes, I'd love to bring that up in our negotiations. After all, I also intend to buy many things that these lands can offer..." Jon spoke to Olenna.
"That's interesting, so why don't we expedite this process? I was just waiting for this moment to start negotiating..." she said, as Jon nodded, already prepared for a negotiation today.
"Perfect, well... my ladies." Olenna turned to the women. "It seems that now we have some important matters to discuss and I'm sure that, from what I've heard, even our guests will participate," she said, since Arya and Seryna sometimes took part in trade meetings in Dorne. Since Jon did not seem to deny this fact, they would surely be involved.
"Alright..." Margaery commented.
"You too, my dear, let your cousin take care of our guests and let's go inside the castle." Margaery seemed surprised by her grandmother's invitation, since she never participated in these negotiations, but for Olenna, it was time for her to learn this too, after all, there was a child there who was smart enough for it, the future queen of the seven kingdoms could not be left behind.
"Great, let's go then," Olenna said after her granddaughter nodded, she stood up with support and looked at Jon. "Could you help this lady walk?" She said with a small bold smile and turned to Seryna. "Is it alright if I steal your husband for a while? Not that this old woman could satisfy such a handsome man, but it makes me feel young and beautiful..." She said with a wink to the tall woman while Jon smiled apologetically to his wife, knowing that all this was just a facade of that acting woman.
Seryna didn't mind too much. She knew that Olenna was dangerous, but not in a way that would charm Jon and make her queen of Artica, so she took Arya by the arm and followed her husband with the lady. Thus, they began to leave the place, leaving only the ladies of the Reach still in the garden, as they entered the castle.
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Raccoon here: I had to review some points, first I didn't know who Garlan's bride was, so I wrote first that she wasn't present, then I fixed it, I hope I have made that clear.
I know it's a lot of dialogue in a short time... I promise I won't spend too much time on the negotiation, something that has already been seen in Dorne, just going over unique points like the sale of horses and other things from the Reach.
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🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
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